An associate professor in English and African and Afro-American Studies at Washington University, Carl Phillips is the author of four books of poetry. The latest, The Rest of Love, published this year, follows in the footsteps of Phillips' previous (multiple award-nominated) work, melding the rhythms of classical poetry with the sensibility of a modern African-American man. Unlike too many of today's poets, to Phillips meaning is important, and every word of his sparsely composed verse rings with it. Phillips is also a presence when reading his work, making the distinction between poet and performer inconsequential.